


Dorothea's Big Project

by Eevietellsall1657



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Falsettos References, I'm so sorry, Musical References, Probably the most Niche thing I've ever written, Theatre, nobody asked for this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25122922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eevietellsall1657/pseuds/Eevietellsall1657
Summary: Dorothea gets a dream of an assignment. To put on a show of her choosing, and get her friends involved. The pressure is on to get her cast stage-ready, her crew to run a tight ship, and to try and stay sane.
Kudos: 7





	1. The Assignment

Dorothea took a deep breath of the crisp September air. The beauty of the historic campus of Garreg Mach University takes her breath away almost every morning. She promised herself that this was going to be a good year. 

She walked down the hill with a spring in her step. As the fall breeze gently ran through her hair. Her first class of the semester was Theatre Directing and Producing Practicum with Professor Manuela. If only a little biased, Manuela was her favorite professor of all time. As she got to her classroom, she surveyed the students that were already there. There wasn’t anyone that she was particularly close with any of her colleagues but she liked to make herself known. Most of her closest friends were in political science or similar disciplines. 

She sat in the front row like she always does in Manuela’s classes, and pulls out her phone for her obligatory “First class of the semester” Instagram story.

The sound of heels clicked down the hallway. Professor Manuela glided into the classroom. Before reaching the desk she turns, smiles, and winks at Dorothea. The confidence in her aura filled the classroom. Her presence would be intimidating to any freshman, but that’s exactly why she’s Dorothea’s favorite professor.

“Good morning everyone” Manuela starts for the center front of the room. “I’m sure most of you know me by now- I see many familiar faces. If you don’t my name is Professor Manuela Casagranda. But you can just call me Professor Manuela. Welcome to Directing and Producing!”

She continued as most “First day of class” proceedings usually go; introducing the class, and going over the syllabus. It’s one particular final project that catches Dorothea’s eye.

“Now,” Manuela starts, “I know most of you here want to achieve big things in your careers. However, I’m not going to sit here as an experienced performer and tell you that the process of those big achievements is going to be easy. You’re going to have to take jobs you don’t like or think you’re better than for the experience, so you can work your way to the top. And that is going to be the purpose of your final assignment that you will be working on starting now until the end of the semester.”

Dorothea’s eyes widened in excitement.

“I want you to put together a production of any show of your choosing, with people who do not have any particular theatre background. While some parts of the crew and things should be handled by professionals like lighting and sound; I want your actors, your sets, choreography, etc, to be done by amateurs. You can recruit anyone you would like, as long as they have less than a year of experience. At the end of the semester, your production will be performed in the Seiros Cathedral theater in front of the public audience with myself and a few of my colleagues giving you your final grade. With that being said, I would like for you to create a proposal for your show for class on Wednesday.”

As much as Dorothea wanted to pay attention to the rest of the class while everyone was discussing campus policy and course material, she couldn’t help but let her mind wander as to what show she was going to do, and who she was going to cast. 

Manuela dismissed the class, Dorothea shot up from her seat. “Thank you, Professor Manuela, for this assignment. I appreciate the challenge, and I promise I won’t let you down.”

“I thought you would like it” Manuela laughed. “I have faith in you, Dorothea”

Her grin widened, as she walked out of the room with ideas reeling in her head.


	2. Recruiting: Phase 1

Even though she had two more classes that day, (including her hardest: General Biology with Professor Hanneman. She’s not a science gal.) all Dorothea could think about is her project. She was obviously going to recruit her friends. Her roommate for the second year in a row, Ingrid, especially had so much potential but the rest of the cast and crew she couldn’t imagine as clearly.

She pulled out her phone to text some of her friends from high school that also went to Garreg Mach. If she could get most of the crew figured out, maybe she could focus on cast and what show she actually wanted to do.

**Black Eagles Strike Force**

**Dorothea:**

Hey lovelies!~ I need help with an assignment if anyone is up for the task <3

**Linhardt:**

Already? It’s the first day of the semester. :(

**Caspar:**

What’s the assignment? I’ll take it on, no problem! You can count on me!!!

**Petra:**

I also have curiosity. I will help in any way I can.

**Dorothea:**

I’m directing my own show!! And I need a crew. Costumes, props, and sets mostly. And I need a stage manager.

**Hubert:**

Unfortunately, I cannot help you. Edelgard and I are going to be busier than ever this semester.

**Ferdinand:**

I am up for the challenge!! I will make the best props you’ve ever seen, or manage the best stage!

**Edelgard:**

Sorry Dorothie, Hubert’s right we have a lot on our plate this semester. Ugh Pre- Law. We’ll come and see the show though! Good luck! :)

**Dorothea:**

You guys are the best!! Luv ya!

@Capar, @Petra, @Ferdinand, Our first rehearsal is Friday at 7 PM in the Macuil  Lecture hall!! <3

The conversation went exactly how she thought it would. Dorothea slipped her phone in her backpack, She turned to the page in her notebook she sectioned off for the crew. She wrote down Ferdinand as the stage manager because he’s a good leader, and Petra and Caspar as co- prop managers. She loved Petra and Caspar dearly, but she knew she could find a better seamstress to do costumes. She pondered about trying to convince Bernadetta, but it’s already hard enough to try and convince her to have a meal in the dining hall. Dorothea skimmed through the rest of her notebook and perused her other plans.

Multiple pages in her notebook were devoted to crossed out ideas, potential cast, but most importantly what show she wanted to produce. She wanted the cast to be small, mostly because she just didn’t want to deal with a large ensemble, which eliminated a majority of well-known musicals. She could do a play but she didn’t know a lot of plays that resonated with her the same way as musicals. The only downside to that was that she was going to have to teach people to sing, but she was up for the challenge. She also wanted something deep, real, not expected of amateurs.

She went back and forth between different shows until the perfect show hit her. It was exactly what she wanted. Raw emotion, complex relationships, and a small, but diverse cast. She started a clean page in her notebook for ideas when her last class ended and she returned to her dorm. 

When Dorothea got back to her dorm, Ingrid was sitting at her desk highlighting syllabi and putting dates in her planner. She turned to greet her roommate when Dorothea’s energy took her completely by surprise.

“INGRID I GOT THE BEST ASSIGNMENT EVER” she squealed, hoping her excitement might help in her favor. “Professor Manuela is the absolute best and I’m so excited!”. 

Ingrid couldn’t help but chuckle at her friend’s excitement, “I’m glad, you seemed to have a good day. What’s the assignment?”

Dorothea grinned ear to ear, “I get to produce and direct my own show, and I get to pick the cast and the crew with people who don’t have a lot of experience, so pretty much I can cast all of my friends!!”

Ingrid’s face fell slightly. She knows exactly where this pitch is going, “Dorothea, you can’t possibly mean-”

“That you’re gonna kindly volunteer your talent because you love me and you’re the best roommate ever?” Dorothea added puppy-dog eyes for extra flair.

Ingrid sighs, “I’m not a theatre person, you know that I can’t act”.

“No,  _ you _ don’t know that you  _ can _ . Besides, I have a character that’s so much like you, it wouldn’t be even acting. Ingrid, I see so much potential in you. And I’ll be there for you every single step of the way. Please? I promise it will be fun. Plus, you still kinda owe me for stopping you from punching that frat guy at last year’s Spring Splash."

Ingrid laughs, “You shouldn’t have even stopped me. That guy had it coming”.

“Buuut, guess who doesn’t have assault charges” Dorothea sings.

“I guess that’s true.” Ingrid trails off, then sighs, “I guess I don’t have anything to lose. But let me bring Leonie, I need moral support from someone who truly gets me”. Ingrid is praying that Dorothea has room for her closest teammate.

Dorothea thought about it. She had only met Leonie a number of times. She was on the Rugby team with Ingrid. She was resourceful, determined, and likes to keep busy. She thought of a role that she would work well in, “If you can get her to our first rehearsal, she’s got the role. Also, I need your help in finding more people. Most of my friends already have experience. Plus most of my friends from high school said they’re too busy. I only got Caspar, Ferdinand, and Petra to help me with props and costumes right now.”

“I could ask my high school friends,” Ingrid pondered, “But that might mean that you’ll have to talk to Sylvain at some point.”

Dorothea tensed at the mention of her ex. They were on pretty decent terms, especially given that Sylvain drove Dorothea up a wall, but she was more worried about the chaos that he would wreak if he was in her cast. Though his womanizer ways have mellowed out since he started dating Felix. She let out a small groan, “I guess if that’s what it takes. I’ll pay him a visit tomorrow.”


	3. Ingrid's Chance

Early Tuesday morning, Ingrid woke up for Rugby practice. She was no stranger to waking up early, but some days she just wished she could sleep in for a change. She climbed out of bed and turned on her phone flashlight, as to not wake Dorothea. She changed into her bathrobe, grabbed her shower caddy, and headed for the dorm showers. 

Ingrid usually took quick showers in the mornings before practice, but this morning, she was distracted by the anxiety of asking Leonie to be in Dorothea’s project.

She would probably laugh at Ingrid, think she was joking. Or she would just think Ingrid was crazy. If Dorothea was the epitome of a theatre person, Leonie was on the opposite of the spectrum. So asking her to be in a musical? Especially with her other ten activities, was going to be absolutely impossible.

Ingrid took a deep breath and got out of the shower. As she changed and finished getting ready for the day she rehearsed what she was going to say to her teammate over and over in her head.

Walking to the training grounds, Ingrid felt a lump in her throat. “Whatever happens, happens,” She thought to herself. She met Leonie by the training ground doors, “Hey,” She said.

Leonie waved back, “Yo,” She said as they walked to the locker room together. “How was your first day of class?”. 

Ingrid sighs, “I can feel this semester is just going to be a pain,” She pauses, “What about you?”

Leonie smiles, “You know me I’m always up for a challenge,”

“Glad to know someone has some optimism,” Ingrid half-jokes, “Speaking of challenges, I have a favor to ask. You know my roommate, Dorothea, right?”

“Oh of course! She’s really good at getting creepy guys away at parties!”

“Well…” Ingrid feels the lump in her throat rising, her cheeks flush, “She has this project where she gets to direct her own play. She asked me to be in it and I kinda already asked her if you could be in it because I wanted someone around to keep me sane. And I’m sorry I didn’t ask you first, I just kinda panicked ‘cause she might be getting Sylvain involved and I didn’t wanna-”  
“Ingrid!” Leonie shouts over her, “Of course I’ll do the play with you. You know I’m always down for doin’ something outside the box.”

Ingrid feels a wave of relief through her whole body, “Really? You mean it?”

“Of course! You worry too much” Leonie chuckled. “Just let me know when the first rehearsal is”  
Ingrid was so overwhelmed with joy she basically jumped into Leonie’s arms, “LEONIE THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH YOU’VE SAVED ME. I OWE YOU BIG TIME”

Leonie chuckles, “I’ll keep that in mind. I could use a free meal here and there”.


	4. Unexpected Support

Dorothea stood in front of Sylvain’s worn-down house. It was a college rental alright, solo cups and beer cans littered the patio, the wind carried the scent of weed and stale booze. She knew that Sylvain didn’t have high standards of living, but this dump seemed low even for him. She knocked on the paint-chipped door and waited for a response.

She heard footsteps and then a tall figure appeared behind the blinds in the window of the door. Sylvain’s roommate, Claude Von Reigan, opened the door. He was initially shocked to see Dorothea but knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t show up, unannounced, without good reason. He smiled, “Hey, Dorothea, what’s up?”

“Claude,” Dorothea smiled back, “Is Sylvain home? I have something to ask of him.”

“He has class until 3, so if you wanted to wait for him, you’re welcome to chill here,” He backed away from the door to let her in. 

She stepped in the house and the inside was just about as littered as the outside, “Seemed like you guys had fun,” She commented.

“You know Sylvain, always likes to throw especially big parties the day before the semester,” Claude nervously laughed, “He said he was gonna help me clean it up when he got home”.

“If you’re not going to the first class of the semester with the biggest hangover it’s not worth it” Dorothea attempted to impersonate her ex-boyfriend.

Claude laughed, “Can I get you anything? We have beers and uh… beer”

“I’m alright, thanks though,” She sat at the end of the brown sectional.

“So, if I can ask, what do you have to talk to Sylvain about? I know you guys are still friends and all, but I know how he can get on your nerves.”

Dorothea sighed, “Yeah I know. But he has really good connections. I’m doing this project for Professor Manuela’s class. We get to put on our own plays, and we have to work with people who aren’t experienced in Theatre. I got a couple of friends of mine to help, but most of them are busy. And even if I could get all of them to do it, it wouldn’t be enough to put on a full production. I roped Ingrid in, so she suggested I talk to Sylvain to see if their friends from Faerghus Memorial wanted to do it.”

“If you need any more help, I’m sure that I got some friends that would be happy to help. If you need an artist for sets, I know just the guy, we went to high school together. Dude’s a little awkward, but super artistic and gets along with everyone.”

Dorothea starred a Claude like she was thinking about something. He could see the gears turning in her head.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” Claude asked as if he already didn’t know that Dorothea was scheming. Takes a schemer to know a schemer.

“Sorry, just thinking…, that artist you’re talking about. You mean Ignatz Victor right? I think I’ve heard Leonie mention him.”

“Yeah, he’s a genius,” Claude said, “Want his email?”

As Claude was typing Ignatz’s email in Dorothea’s phone, the door opened.

Sylvain Gautier walked through the door, holding hands with an irritated Felix Fraldarius, “I’m just saying you’ve known Dimitri your entire life, we’re all friends with him. Being in one class with him is not going to be the end of the world,”. He took off his shoes and turned to the couch. He froze when he saw Dorothea sitting on there. 

Felix smirked at his boyfriend’s reaction, “Hey Dorothea,” he said flatly and then plopped himself on the opposite side of the couch.

“Hey” Sylvain echoed, “Didn’t expect to see you here.” He couldn’t shake the surprised tone out of his voice. 

“Sorry for coming unannounced,” Dorothea said, “I need your help, and it just seemed easier to talk to you in person about it.” 

“Don’t make it sound like someone died” Sylvain laughed, “No one died right?”

“No, thankfully,” Dorothea said, “I’m producing my own show for Professor Manuela’s class. I was wondering if you and some of your friends might be able to help.”

“Count me out,” Felix said coldly. 

“To be expected,” Sylvain said toward his irritable boyfriend. “Yeah of ‘Course I’ll help. What do you need from us exactly?”

“Well, that’s the interesting part. I think Claude would be really good in one of my main roles-”

“Hell yes!” Claude exclaimed. “What’s the role? A badass spy? Brooding Protagonist?”

“Impatient and vindictive gay man” Dorthea interrupted.

“That’s better than I could have ever asked for” Claude sighed.

“Originally I thought you, Sylvain, would’ve been good for it. But I think Claude fits so much better so I’m going to give you the role of understudy for all the main male roles. Besides that, I need someone for costumes and some actors. Because the assignment is to work with non-theatre people I wanna match them by personality so it’s easier for them to connect to their characters.”

“All the Male characters?’ Sylvain asked worried, “How many are there? Seems like a lot of work,”  
“It would only be three characters, and besides, the whole show is sung out so you can just listen to the cast recording to learn it” Dorothea assured him. 

“Don’t you have auditions for this kind of thing?” Felix asked without looking up from his phone. 

“That’s the traditional process, yes.” Dorothea said, “but I really want to challenge myself going in blind with new actors.”

“Well Mercedes would be good at costumes,” Sylvain added. “What characters do you need?”

“There’s another male lead that counters Claude, he’s greedy and immature, and fights with Claude’s character a lot-”

“IF THAT DOES NOT SCREAM LORENZ HELLMAN GLOUSTER” Claude nearly and shouted making the other three in the room jump. “That dude always has it out for me. He’s always needed to one-up me since high school. Just tell him that I’m doing it and he will agree to do it one hundred percent out of spite to try and best me.”

“You guys will be playing love interests. You will have to kiss and do some sexual shit onstage” Dorothea warned. 

Claude grimaced, but then it seemed as if his facial expression changed with every new thought, “It would probably be the worst experience in my adult life, but I think I would get so much satisfaction out of knowing that he probably will hate it more than me.” 

Dorothea wrote the name down in her phone, “I need a femme lesbian, who’s kinda overbearing but overall sweet-”

“Annette,” Sylvain and Felix said unison.

“Oh that’s a great idea!, I can talk to her in my vocal performance class tomorrow,” Dorothea noted in her phone, “Then I need a mentally unstable preteen, and a neurotic, awkward psychiatrist”.

“Lysithea for the preteen, and Ignatz for the psychiatrist” Claude stated confidently. 

Dorothea questioned, “Do you think Ignatz can do sets and still play a character?”.

“I mean, we can always help him with sets,” Claude shrugged, “besides, he’s a resilient dude. He doesn’t like to let people down. Besides awkward and neurotic kinda fits him to a tee”

Dorothea thought to herself, “I think that’s everyone I needed. Thanks, guys. You’re the best.” She asked for everyone’s emails, and phone numbers, before walking back to her dorm with a spring in her step.

As the door closed behind her, the three men sat in the living room. Felix asked without missing a beat, “So to be clear, I don’t have to do anything right?”


End file.
